Schultz Family Wines Boneyards Red Blend 2021 Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa 75cl

Every wine in Rudi Schultz’s range takes its name from a surf break, and Boneyards is a heavy, bone-crunching wave just along from Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay. It is a fitting name for the boldest red he makes. Schultz builds these wines by hand in small volumes, alongside his long-standing role as winemaker at Thelema.

Boneyards is a Bordeaux-style red led by Cabernet Sauvignon, with a small portion of Petit Verdot for extra colour, spice and backbone. The fruit comes from mineral-rich Stellenbosch vineyards, and the wine is drawn from the best barrels of the vintage, matured in a good share of new French oak. It is the flagship red blend of the range, made to reward patience.

2021 is a vintage many in Stellenbosch rate highly. A cooler than usual summer slowed ripening and pushed harvest back, so the grapes kept their acidity while reaching full ripeness. Yields were down, but the reds came in dark, concentrated and firmly structured, with the balance to age well. It is an ideal backdrop for a serious, oak-aged blend like this.

This is a dark, rich wine showing concentrated cassis and black plum, with cedar, spice and hints of red fruit lifting the core. The oak is seamlessly integrated, the tannins firm but ripe, and the whole is fine-textured and well-balanced. It finishes long and structured. Open now with a decant, or cellar it for eight to ten years. Ideal with beef, venison or lamb.

Boneyards has real critical standing: Tim Atkin rated the 2021 at 93 points in his 2025 South Africa report, according to a European stockist. In style it recalls a firm, age-worthy Bordeaux blend rather than a soft, fruit-forward one, and it stands comfortably beside more famous Stellenbosch reds. Save it for a special table or a bottle laid down for later. This is the range at full stretch.